December, 2011

Self Help — No Comments
30
Dec 11

Popular New Year’s Resolutions

Every year newspapers, magazines, and websites post lists of the most popular New Year’s Resolutions along with suggestions on how to make a resolutions list and keep it. It’s as predictable as the appearance of holiday decorations and airings of “It’s a Wonderful Life.”

Looking back at resolutions made at the start of 2011, researcher Alexander Cherney found that losing weight was the top goal of surveyed Americans, with over 40% listing it as their top resolution. Unfortunately, it’s also at the top of the list of unachieved resolutions.  Along with losing weight, getting fit or exercising more is also a popular resolution, as is eating healthier.

The important thing in choosing a resolution is to pick goals that are achievable over the long-term. It also depends on your ability to develop new habits and the discipline to keep them throughout the year. For example, trying to save money may be difficult when it comes time to find a new apartment. Having the will power to keep your year-long budget in mind will keep you from splurging on the condo you can’t afford in favor of the smaller unit that will help you meet your goals.

Other popular resolutions, according to government statistics:

  • Get a Better Job
  • Drink Less
  • Quit Smoking
  • Manage Debt
  • Volunteer
  • Take a Vacation
  • Spend More Time with Family/Friends
  • Recyle

photo by Between a Rock, courtesy Creative Commons License

Business / Home — 1 Comment
15
Dec 11

Daniel Drimmer Built New Company Around Positive Customer Experience

Many real estate companies think only of their bottom line, how to make the most money they can from their tenants. The good ones, however, realize that putting the customer first can translate to long-term residencies and higher occupancy rates. Best of all, happy customers lead to higher referral rates and a strong brand.

One new company in Canada is emphasizing customer service at the forefront of its corporate vision. Starlight Apartments is the brainchild of Daniel Drimmer, a veteran of Canadian residential real estate. Having built one real estate company into a major player, Drimmer could have easily retired after completing the largest multi-residential transaction of the year in Canada in 2010. Drimmer, however, had other ideas.

Drimmer brings years of experience developing ground-breaking techniques, such as online property tours and the use of social media tools, to his new endeavor. Starlight Apartments burst onto the scene in September 2011 with 5,500 rental units spread across Canada. In the months since the launch, the company has already acquired an additional 60 units in a building in Mississauga, Ontario and plans to have a total of 10,000 units in its portfolio by the end of 2012.

Starlight President Daniel Drimmer believes that their emphasis on personal attention, customer service, and professionalism will set them apart from other real estate companies. They believe in providing a positive and satisfying experience for those searching for apartments on their website, viewing virtual tours on video sites, and interacting with the company directory through conversations on social media sites. Once potential tenants are ready to visit a property in person, expert property managers will be available to answer all questions and help potential customers transition into happy residents. Starlight has chosen several different property managers rather than a single, national company. This ensures that each manager is familiar with the specific city and property and will give residents the personal attention they require.

In this second decade of the 21st century it is imperative that businesses find a way to distinguish themselves from the competition. Focusing on providing a positive customer experience is a good place to start. New and existing businesses alike may find that putting the customer first will help them build a loyal following — one smile at a time.

Image courtesy Payton Chung via Creative Commons license.

Science — No Comments
3
Dec 11

The Future of Solar Power – Solar Power Harvesting From Space

The scientific community has been on a swift curve toward better ways to harness the suns energy. There are drastic limitations on Earth bound solar collection due to atmospheric absorption which causes a decrease in the energy emitted by the sun. However, from space nothing will stand in the way of complete garnering and retaining of all accessible sunlight. In fact, traveling in geosynchronous orbit will position satellites in the perfect realm for collection of constant, direct and completely uninterrupted solar energy.

From Germany to Japan scientists are investigating the best ways to apply space based solar power harvesting. Most are in agreement that the best solutions are to utilize microwave amplification via stimulated emission of radiation or some variation thereof to beam energy from space to Earth.

The benefit of employing microwaves lies in the fact that, when the frequencies are kept at approximately10 gigahertz or below, they have the ability to penetrate the Earth’s atmosphere without the concern of energy loss through absorption, even with considerations of adverse weather conditions. With that said, the issue with microwaves is that they are prone to spreading, which then must be combated with ever increasing receiver sizes, dependent on the distance the waves must travel to their destination.

Considering most existing satellites function above the earths surface at an orbit around 21,750 miles, land locked receivers would have to span a relatively vast area, perhaps literally hundreds of square miles. The idea is slightly less than practical in its simplest form. To combat this, the idea of a narrowed beam tuned to a wavelength that would not harm humans but would still retain its durability has been proposed as one of the most reasonable options. Such a beam would have a fixed reception point on the Earth’s surface.

Another, slightly more elaborate idea, presented at the International Union of Radio Science’s 30th General Assembly, was to virtually permanently dispel the issue by utilizing both lasers and microwaves. Alone, lasers are unstable and easily scattered; in theory a laser would beam the solar energy from a platform in space to an unmanned craft sitting just above the Earth’s surface, in fact, only 12 miles above. The craft would then transform the laser to microwaves and complete the transfer of energy to the ground receiver which could then be scaled down to a mere 130 feet.

Despite what mat seem like hindering factors to the project scientists around the world agree that in the next 10 to 20 years there will be functional solar harvesting from space. Potentially it could tale the place of solar panels for homeowners, however the cost would be astronomical. Whole cities won’t be powered, that will take significant advances in spaceflight technology and efficiency of solar usage but major staples such as hospitals or military will be able to utilize the resource. When can you expect solar power to your house from space? Well, when it is more economic to get the equipment where it is needed, in space, it will have the potential to become commonplace.

For now, the majority of solar energy is harnessed through the use of solar panels. In fact, solar panel installer training is becoming more and more commonplace as the need to conserve energy grows.